AITUTAKI New Zealand High Commission Fund Araura BOYS BRIGADE PROJECT 2021
In August of 2020, Aitutaki Boys Brigade Captain Bob Toka asked me to assist with their application to the New Zealand High Commissioners Fund (NZHC Fund), to purchase new band instruments and to teach new instruments (clarinets and saxophones) that were being implemented in their band.
Having lived on the beautiful Island of Aitutaki for 10 years, I had been volunteering in local schools and church groups encouraging young people to play, sing and perform with guitar and keyboards etc. SO, I gave my support to Bob and George Turia (who wrote the grant) and the grant was approved for some $13,000+ NZD around December 2020.
We immediately started to reach out to various suppliers who provided quotes and set in motion the vigorous task of ordering, receiving, and shipping the instruments. Note- this was at the start of the world-wide CV-19 virus pandemic, and suppliers were cutting back, All shipping-ground, air, ships etc. were cancelled, off-schedule or slowed down. Inventories were reduced, workers stayed home, factories shut down. But by the grace of God, most all our items were shipped by April 2021 and in August 2021 we received” 10 Trumpets, 4 Trombones, 4 Clarinets, 4 saxophones, 2 Baritone horns, 2 Bass Drums, a quad drum set, cymbals, and snare drums.
Soon after, the band started regular Monday practices and additional Thursday instruction where they practiced: scales, introduction to reading and writing musical notation. Unfortunately, our islands saw the arrival of CV-19 to our shores in 2022 and that caused cancellation of gatherings.
We are now recovering from the CV-19 pandemic and tourism has started to flourish, schools are fully opened, and we will begin to get our band rehearsals back on regular schedule. We look forward to our future evets and celebrations and want to THANK- with all our hearts and souls, the wonderful and gracious administrators, and staff at (20) New Zealand High Commission, Rarotonga, Cook Islands | Facebook and the New Zealand High Commissioners Grant Fund – who have made this project possible. We would also like to thank our suppliers from www.Amazon.com, www.Musiciansfriend.com, and our shipping agents www.extremeglobal.co.nz; www.cfrrinkens.com.
Funding
For this project was received from New Zealand High Commission Fund – Cook Islands | New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (mfat.govt.nz)
Activities
New activities for 2022 following post CV-19..will post shortly.
Training
